OTC: Jack Harry Misses The Old Days When The Media Was Royal Too / MU Wins, Barely

“It’s all changed now. The players look at the media as somewhat the enemy. They don’t know your names, they don’t care. Which is fine…”Jack Harry, in a conversation Wednesday with Kevin Kietzman and Danny Clinkscale while the two radio personalities were in Arizona covering the Royals spring training, 810 AMGH: Why should a viewer or listener care about whether or not Eric Hosmer or Alex Gordon knows Jack Harry’s name? Jack says it’s “fine” but his words betray him. He obviously misses the days when he and others in the media were more of the same status as the athletes they covered.

“The relationships with the players was so much different back in the ‘70s and ‘80s.”Jack Harry, 810 AMGH: So Jack misses the days when he was golf buddies with Cotton Fitzsimmons and playing the role of Norm Stewart’s public relations firm on this side of the state? The media has evolved and improved greatly from those dark days when friends would cover up stories for friends. Jack might miss those golf outings but guys like Jason Whitlock who weren’t much into golf or playing nice ruined it for the Jacks of the world.

“The University of Missouri System Board of Curators has approved an amended contract for Head Football Coach Gary Pinkel that will keep him patrolling the Mizzou sideline through Dec. 31, 2020. With the new agreement, Pinkel’s guaranteed salary will increase to $3.1 million, up from $2.8 million, while his assistant coaching staff will receive an increase in their salary pool to $3.2 million, up from the previous amount of $2.66 million.”Chad Moller, Mizzou Athletics CommunicationsGH: Well, what a difference a season makes. Pinkel was all but circling the drain with many Mizzou football fans after last season’s SEC nightmare. Now Pinks has a new contract through 2020, a hefty raise, more cash for his staff and he was seen with a young hottie in the aisle of last night’s basketball game at Mizzou Arena. Life is good in Jumboland.

“This is an ugly, ugly win – but sometimes you’ll take an ugly win.”Gary Link, MU’s radio analyst, after Mizzou edged Texas A&M 57-56 at Mizzou Arena Wednesday night, Tiger Radio NetworkGH: Mizzou never led in this game until Ross hit his final two free throws in the last minute. And the final minute was one that should have come with a NC-17 rating.

“It was the worst final two minutes of basketball that I’ve ever seen as far as both teams making mistakes. Both teams just giving the game away over and over again.”Steve St. John, 810 AM

“They are really, really good.”Frank Haith, accessing Texas A&M after the narrow win, 810 AMGH: A&M ranks 312th in points per game, 228th in rebounding, 165th in assists and 251st in FG percentage. And the Aggies are now 1-8 on the road. That is not really, really good, Frank. Even in the SEC.

“Since the night of Feb. 1, Arkansas has lost one game by a single point. Raise your hand if you want to play the Razorbacks in the NCAAs.”Eric Prisbell, @EricPrisbell, TwitterGH: Mike Anderson has turned it around at Arkansas in the span of a month. The guy we had all left for dead is not only thriving in Fayetteville but looking like Florida’s next big hurdle in the SEC tourney. That patronizing SOB just might be dancing all the way to the Sweet 16 this season.

“Boo… RT @BlumbergOTB: Tiger radio network chats with a sponsor instead of broadcasting Senior Mic Night. #Fail”Kurtis Seaboldt, @KSeaboldt, TwitterGH: I don’t understand how the school or the broadcast could be so out-of-touch with their audience. Just awful.

“Does MU really keep hopes alive with that kinda game? That was ugly. Credit for coming back. As an MU fan you should not be happy about the way your team played at all, regardless of a win. Should blow out TAMU.”Bob Fescoe, @bobfescoe, in what may have been the most obvious tweet he’s sent this year – or any year, Twitter

“Obviously, I retweeted that guy and he got hammered by Kansas fans for being an idiot.”Bob Fescoe, on a Twitter war of words he engaged in with a Mizzou fan following the A&M game, 610 AMGH: Fescoe managed to start a Twitter war between KU and MU fans? The man is a regular Dalai Lama of motivation.

“Mizzou still has a chance to finish as high as fourth in the SEC standings with a win on Saturday at Tennessee.”Steve Walentik, @Steve_Walentik, Columbia Daily Tribune basketball writer, TwitterGH: That is just, well…unbelievable.

“Amazing night for the seniors…Can’t wait to be a senior. Too bad I didn’t play but they took care of business.”Joel-Hans Embiid, @jojo_embiid, TwitterGH: What? Is Embiid talking about getting a price break at the movies? I would love to see the big guy hang in Lawrence for three more years but that is less likely than Frank Haith turning out to be the next Gary Pinkel.

“Saturday: McDermott goes for 3,000 in his last home game. Sunday: Nebraska goes for its first NCAA bid in 16 years. #Wow#BasketballState”Dirk Chatelain, @dirkchatelain, TwitterGH: Nebraska is one of the more surprising teams of this crazy season. They are not a particulary attractive team to watch but they have won at Michigan State and at Indiana this season. I did not think I would live long enough to type that sentence.

“It’s going to be cold enough to snow. Next Wednesday, Thursday and Friday a strong cold front’s going to come through.”Gary Lezak, on his weather forecast for the Big 12 basketball tournament next week in Kansas City, 8109 AMGH: What a perfect way to end this bastard of a winter – more winter.

“One oatmeal, a sausage McMuffin and a large Diet Coke.”My breakfast order today (and most mornings) at McDonald’sGH: I discovered after driving away that I received one oatmeal but no McMuffin in my bag and a large regular Coke. I have never gone back to correct a fast food order and I did not this time. I just got back on the Interstate to continue my commute. But what if McDonald’s changed to see-through bags? I would have immediately seen that my McMuffin was missing. I am offering this idea up to Ronald at no charge.

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About Greg Hall

Software guy who has been writing my Off The Couch column in KC newspapers, publications and websites since 1994. Has been bounced from some of the finest media establishments this side of State Line Road. Dad first and everything else second...and there are a lot of everything elses.

The last thing any fast food restaurant wants is a bunch of a-holes checking their bag to make sure you got what you ordered. They bank on you being too lazy to go back to keep their drive-thru lane moving.

Lezak needs to shut his freaking mouth. He has become the shock jock of meteorologists. He says crap like this so folks like Greg talk about it. Nobody else is saying this at all! In fact, this is the D-bag that came on the Border Patrol 2 days before our 3 inch snow last weekend and said we could get 18-20 inches. he is a snow freak and loves to get people worked up because he knows people hear the word “snow” in this town and start acting like Armageddon is coming.

+1 I have to agree, I respect his forecasts, but he gets way too freaking happy when a major snowstorm hits. He’s almost euphoric. That is what irks me, as I have to go shovel more snow again. Just report it Gary, you don’t have to be overjoyed about it.

Apparently you need to pay better attention – Lezak never said we could get 18-20 inches in fact he specifically went out of his way to say that it was absolutely NOT his forecast but that it was one of the computer models that came up with that prediction.

“The media has evolved and improved greatly from those dark days when friends would cover up stories for friends.”

Hmmm. There may be perspective here. An element of the sports media became infinitely more painful when sports media figures (Chris Berman, Dick Vitale, et al)work very hard at and consider themselves as big of a star as the stars or the sports they cover/comment on.

Nothing angers me more when I’m listening to dipshits on 810 whine about how they’re treated by the people they cover. All of last week it was how Yost interacted with Petro. ALWAYS it’s about Bukaty and how poorly Yost treats him. KK will bitch about anybody who may have somehow reminded him of what a little twerp he is until he has them on the phone line and he gets all warm and cuddly. Do they really think ANYBODY listening is interested in Ned or George or Pioli or anybody being grumpy, which in any way belittles them and might permanently scar their so fragile egos?
If they don’t like their work then shut up and get off the air. Why they even think this crap is so important anyway is beyond me. Rarely, rarely do managers, general managers and especially players say anything of interest. Is Dayton Moore really gonna say that I am gonna offer James Shields $15 mil/yr. for 5 yrs. because its all my cheap-ass owner will let me? It’s all cliches, generalizations or otherwise skirting around questions. The champion stupid question-the “feel” question is a favorite of these fools. Such as “How does it feel to win the World Series?”….”Umm, good?” Simply riveting stuff. How could anybody be polite all the time when surrounded and pestered by these morons daily?

Ronnie,
I missed KK’s interview with Finebaum. I might have to listen to the podcast. I can’t imagine him calling Kevin, “Greg,” was anything more than a coincidence.

My favorite name drop came from Mitch Holthus during a Chiefs game. I think I was writing for The Star at the time. In mid-game, Holthus called Greg Hill, “Greg Hall.” Unfortunately, my NFL career (or my radio or newspaper careers) were not long enough to garner a pension.

GH: So Jack misses the days when he was golf buddies with Cotton Fitzsimmons and playing the role of Norm Stewart’s public relations firm on this side of the state? The Media Has Evolved And Improved Greatly From Those Dark Days When Friends Would Cover Up Stories For Friends.

Some guy from Chicago named Barry Soetoro is on like one Greg…Barry Soetoro on line one.

Agreed, Kyle. I keep looking at MadJack and Pudge as a study in contrasts. Like most of the guys on here, I’ve been watching them both for years and Harry isn’t getting it done with actual journalism or analysis so he’s decided he’s going to loosen the reins on his inner crotchety old man. Pudge. however, is going to stick with his unflappable relative cool and tell the truth as he sees it. I’ve always like Boal and I continue to do so. It’s always sort of lame to describe a guy as having “class” because it’s one of those things you tend to see where/when you want to see it, but I do think that about Boal. Boal doesn’t whine, he doesn’t throw bombs at any local fanbases, and he doesn’t try to get ratings by being an asshole. It probably says something about how old I’m getting in that I appreciate this as much as I do.

I wouldn’t even hate Jack Harry’s editorializing if it weren’t clearly designed for the sole purpose of tweaking KU fans and then, when KU fans get angry with him (which is, after all, exactly what he intended), he goes and acts all pouty and talks about how he might just give it all up because it isn’t worth all the vitriol he’s getting when he helped create it in the first place.

+1 — An objective news story has sadly become an oxymoron. Nowadays it seems that even straight news media can’t help but skew reporting in favor of their bias, whatever it may be. No one wants to report just the facts (in sufficient quantity and depth to allow the reader/viewer to draw their own conclusions) because they believe (1) it takes too much time (and time is money) and (2) they get better ratings (and thus more ad revenue) if they spin everything.